Official opening of new horticulture and animal centre

Head of faculty Maggie Dodd, programme area manager Victoria Bond, director of curriculum Helen Deacon, horticulture tutor Viv Preston and Roxie Curley and Neil Cook from the Animal Studies team.

The centre features an outdoor classroom built by JG Joinery and Manufacturing, industry standard greenhouses, housing for cats and dogs and a plant centre, all of which are used by students on Horticulture and Animal Studies courses to give them practical experience to prepare them for their careers.

The opening was attended by college governors and representatives from a number of organisations the college works with, including Hest Bank Kennels, South Lakes Wild Animal Park, Cats Protection, AJ Exotics & Pet Supplies, Picadilly Gardens, Ray Busfield, Growing Well, JG Joinery and Manufacturing and qualification awarding body City and Guilds, who enjoyed tours of the college site and refreshments prepared by students on the Path to Catering course.

The centre was officially opened by outgoing director of curriculum Helen Deacon, who spoke about how the department worked with local organisations and thanked the staff team for their hard work in the delivery of the new facilities.

Programme area manager for horticulture and animal studies, Victoria Bond, said: “We are delighted to launch our fantastic new facilities. We were really pleased to see our Governors and the employers we work closely with attend the event.

“A special thanks to Helen Deacon, director of curriculum, for her support through the developmental stage and implementation of the project and also for officially opening the

Animal & Horticulture Centre.

“The facilities have been accessed all year by our students from which we have received very positive feedback. The centre adds to our collection of real life, industry standard learning environments which we hope to continue to develop even further in the future.”